What Have They Done with Jesus?

Overview

Strange theories about Jesus seem to ooze from our culture with increasing regularity. Popular books and network TV specials proposing bizarre, historically unfounded tales of Jesus’ mysterious bloodline and secret teachings continue to titillate the religiously curious. Witherington, one of the top Jesus scholars today, will have none of it. There were no “Jesus Papers,” no “Lost Christianities,” no secret “Gnostic teachings” in the first century. With leading scholars and popular purveyors of bad history in his crosshairs, Witherington reveals what we can-and cannot-know about the real Jesus.

Utilizing a fresh “personality profile” approach, Witherington highlights core Christian claims by investigating the major figures in Jesus’ inner circle of followers: Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Peter, James the brother of Jesus, Paul, and the mysterious “beloved disciple.” In each chapter Witherington satisfies our curiosities and answers the full range of questions about these key figures and what each of them can teach us about the historical Jesus. In what amounts to a vigorous defense of traditional Christianity, What Have They Done With Jesus? offers a compelling portrait of Jesus’ core message according to those who knew him best.

Key Features

Demonstrates the solid historical foundation of Jesus' life and teachings

Challenges faddish ideas about the origins of Christianity

Presents the historical evidence for Jesus' followers and his relationships with them

Praise for the Print Edition

In this accessible, yet scholarly book, Ben Witherington is absolutely right to focus on the people who were closest to Jesus. We know lot about them, enough to know that they knew a lot about Jesus. As Witherington shows, to know the real Jesus, we don’t have to resort to late and unreliable sources. The best sources are the ones we’ve always known about.

—Richard Bauckham, Senior Scholar at Ridley Hall in Cambridge and a visiting professor at St. Mellitus College in London.

Witherington insightfully critiques today’s plethora of speculations about the evolution of earliest Christianity, rightly pointing us away from misinterpretations of Gnostic and other late documents and back to the earliest sources.

—Craig S. Keener, Professor of New Testament, Eastern University, and author of three commentaries on the Gospels

Rumor, conjecture, salacious gossip, conspiratorial plots, innuendo, and hysterical alarm swirl around the name of Jesus these days. Ben Witherington III genially and coolly examines each item, one by one. It is a pleasure to watch one of our best biblical historians do some of his best historical work.

Product Details

Title: What Have They Done with Jesus?

Author: Ben Witherington III

Publisher: HarperOne

Publication Date: 2006

Pages: viii, 343

About the Author

Ben Witherington III is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world and has written over thirty books, including The Brother of Jesus (co-author), The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. Witherington has been interviewed on NBC “Dateline”, CBS “48 Hours”, FOX News, top NPR programs, and major print media including the Associated Press and the New York Times.